DT Luke Fickell (HC Wisconsin Badgers)

[bassbuckeye07]

As long as it takes place in time to partially recover I'm fine with that. Ignoring 2012 fallout, when those players will be drastically upgrading a broken Michigan program, is pretty short-sighted, as is gearing the decision around saving this class.

There's no need to be hasty, but that plan better start rolling after the dust settles in August (with a hire or renewal in December).

Completely agree...hopefully there are smarter folks then us looking at this..and hopefully much smarter folks than Gene Smith

 

[BrowardBuck]

To some degree, I agree with jwin...I think they should take the interim tag off now and give him a 3 year contract. If he is a flop, they can buy it out. Perhaps they put into the contract a 1 year buyout instead of 2. Leaving the interim tag on him is going to cost us with recruiting. It already has and is likely to continue and Michigan has something to sell now that they didn't with RRod. Fickell was able to save Kalis, but we also lost Strobel and could lose some others as well. Those kids and their parents want to know there is a stable situation and unless the coach has a contract, it ain't stable.

I truly hope and pray that they have a stellar year this year and Fickell gets the job. But, I think that for the good of the program long term, they NEED to take the interim tag off now and let him go at it as the official full-time HC. Without at and a contract, he will be hampered all year long, no matter what they do on the field.

And while I agree that Smith will be gone some time not long after the 8/12 hearings, that shouldn't stop them from taking the interim tag off Fickell. Again, if he sucks or the new AD isn't impressed, they can always choose to buy out the contract and go another direction. Long term health also starts with some short term actions and right now, the BoT and administration are NOT instilling any kind of confidence in the program for recruits and their parents.

BB

 

[korchiki]

To some degree, I agree with jwin...I think they should take the interim tag off now and give him a 3 year contract. If he is a flop, they can buy it out. Perhaps they put into the contract a 1 year buyout instead of 2. Leaving the interim tag on him is going to cost us with recruiting. It already has and is likely to continue and Michigan has something to sell now that they didn't with RRod. Fickell was able to save Kalis, but we also lost Strobel and could lose some others as well. Those kids and their parents want to know there is a stable situation and unless the coach has a contract, it ain't stable.


BB

Could not disagree more. I like Fickell and what he brings to the table, but this is one of the top 5 jobs in college football. LF has the opportunity of a lifetime with the chance to do things his way. But he is also a young coach with no HC experience.

Don't get me wrong, I want him to do well and be the next coach, but in my opinion, he needs to earn the removal of the interim tag by how his team performs on teh field this season. And by season I mean after The Game. None of this BS give Weis a 10 year extension part way through his first season kind of stuff.

As for the recruits it's plain an simple, if LF does his job and we win, recruits will still line up to be buckeyes. That will never change.

Winning solves everything.

Go Bucks!

 

[jwinslow]

None of this BS give Weis a 10 year extension part way through his first season kind of stuff.

Neither of us are suggesting that. Weis' contract cripped them with 20+ million due.

Fickell is currently earning 775k, making a three year contract just over 2 million. That's a very easy pill to swallow if they decide to remove him in december, whether due to performance or a better candidate.

 

[Zurp]

This reminds me a little of 1979. Yeah - I turned 3 in 1979, so I don't actually remember Ohio State football, but this is the way I imagine 1979 would have been.

I don't think Earle Bruce was dealt a fair hand. It's kinda like after a long-term relationship, and then you break up. That first girlfriend is just a transition. It can never be long term. Ohio State was going to fire him the first chance they got. But he did pretty well with what he had for a few years. He went 11-1 his first year, and could have won a national championship. Then he went 9-3, 9-3, 9-3, 9-3, 9-3, 9-3, until he finally won 10 games in 1986. How do you fire a guy who does that? But then he lost 4 games in 1987, including to Indiana and the disgusting game against Iowa. Ohio State saw that as their chance, and fired him.

If Fickell wins 11 games this year, I don't think Ohio State can give us much reason to fire him. (But it isn't outside of the realm of possibility.) Fickell may win 11 games a year for 5 years. But one 4-loss season, and he may very well get the boot.

 

[Piney]

As for the recruits it's plain an simple, if LF does his job and we win, recruits will still line up to be buckeyes. That will never change.

Winning solves everything.

Go Bucks!

Another thing... signing day is in February 2012!!!

It is still early in the recruiting game. By the time these recruits sign LOI, they will know who the coach will be going forward AND they will know what the sanctions are going forward.

I do understand that this is the time alot of recruits make decisions and formulate their 'board' of teams they want to focus on. It also opens the door for other programs to impress them enough where they won't look at Ohio State at all, even once things are settled.

But once those things are settled the recruits will know what they are dealing with, bowl bans? scholarship losses? new coach? We will get back on some recruits. Depending on what happens will determine how big of a bump.

The bigger key (regarding recruiting) is that Luke Fickell keeps us in the ball game for as many recruits as possible.

 

[Jaxbuck]

This reminds me a little of 1979. Yeah - I turned 3 in 1979, so I don't actually remember Ohio State football, but this is the way I imagine 1979 would have been.

I don't think Earle Bruce was dealt a fair hand. It's kinda like after a long-term relationship, and then you break up. That first girlfriend is just a transition. It can never be long term. Ohio State was going to fire him the first chance they got. But he did pretty well with what he had for a few years. He went 11-1 his first year, and could have won a national championship. Then he went 9-3, 9-3, 9-3, 9-3, 9-3, 9-3, until he finally won 10 games in 1986. How do you fire a guy who does that? But then he lost 4 games in 1987, including to Indiana and the disgusting game against Iowa. Ohio State saw that as their chance, and fired him.

If Fickell wins 11 games this year, I don't think Ohio State can give us much reason to fire him. (But it isn't outside of the realm of possibility.) Fickell may win 11 games a year for 5 years. But one 4-loss season, and he may very well get the boot.

This is also a good example of remembering the qualitative aspect to passing judgement on his record and not just the raw quantitative number of wins and losses.

Regardless of what the record was OSU was not an elite program by the end of Earl's time. The talent level was down significantly. Those losses to IU weren't flukes, they had the better player(s). That's why it was "Darkest Day" I and II not just because we lost to them but because anyone with eyes could see their program was at the time ahead of OSU.

If Fickell pulls a 9-3 with 9 "should have" wins and 3 ass beatings by teams in our own weight class then he's in trouble but I agree with Jwins overall position. Limited downside, huge upside to just naming him HC at his fair market value for 3 years right now. I'm pretty sure the reason its been handled poorly so far rhymes with Gene Smith.

 

[OSUK]

If you've played the game, at least on the hs level, you know that the NG's are the nastiest, fiercest guys on the team. They do a thankless job getting double teamed, cut from all directions, and while they are occupying blockers, the star LB gets the adulation from the fans while he is laying there with 600 lbs of offensive linemen on top of him. I love that Fickell was a NG and I think he will be fine as long as he brings that NG mentality to the challenges that lay ahead.

He also has a very experienced staff to help him. If those guys all rally around him and Fickell has the humility to draw on their wisdom, this will turn out great for Fickell, the Buckeyes, and us.

 

[Buckeyefrankmp]

Fickell may win 11 games a year for 5 years. But one 4-loss season, and he may very well get the boot.

Think about that statement a little bit. Where would this program be if he wins 11 games a year for five years. I would think they would be in a BCS game of some sort each of those five years. I would venture to say Ohio State would be Big Ten champs for four of those years. If Coach Fickell wind 11 games this year he would be named coach of the year. Are you telling me that he would be fired in year six after a 4 loss season?

 

[DaddyBigBucks]

I would like to hear from those that have coached for longer than I did whether they think it's true that teams take on the personality of the coach. I have a definite impression that they do; but that comes more from my experiences following the college game for 5 decades.

Another impression I have, but it is nothing more than an impression, is that the Buckeyes have been "nastiness challenged" for the past few years. Yeah, we've had nasty players hear and there; but the overall personality of the team was not what it was during the early 70s (and I do not mean play-calling).

If it is true that teams take on the personality of their coach; perhaps the Buckeyes are about to get a double-shot of nasty. If true, that's not a bad thing.

 

[bassbuckeye07]

I would like to hear from those that have coached for longer than I did whether they think it's true that teams take on the personality of the coach. I have a definite impression that they do; but that comes more from my experiences following the college game for 5 decades.

Another impression I have, but it is nothing more than an impression, is that the Buckeyes have been "nastiness challenged" for the past few years. Yeah, we've had nasty players hear and there; but the overall personality of the team was not what it was during the early 70s (and I do not mean play-calling).

If it is true that teams take on the personality of their coach; perhaps the Buckeyes are about to get a double-shot of nasty. If true, that's not a bad thing.

Interesting Ive noticed this as well....Tress's teams have been at times painfully methodical....his signature wins were like a boa constricter slowly wrapping itself around its victim and letting it die slowly...I could see Ficks teams taking it a little past the whistle...more like a Killer Whale throwing a seal around for fun

 

[OSUK]

If I had a criticism of Coach Tress it was how conservative he would get in the second half of games where he had a lead. The Sugar Bowl was an example. The Buckeyes kicked Arkansas' arse in the first half by attacking aggressively. In the second half it was 3 between the tackle runs and a punt or 2 runs and an incomplete pass on 3rd and long. They were playing not to lose which usually means you might lose. It ended up taking a DE intercepting a pass to allow the Buckeyes to win.

I understand that you need to run the ball more with a lead in the second half, but once you stop attacking you lose momentum, and you will get attacked. There's a balance in there somewhere. I just hated seeing our offense get castrated in those situations. On the other hand, Tress won plenty of games and as Cooper said, it's easy to gamble with someone else's chips.

But Fickell used the word "attack" over and over in his presser. I hope this applies to putting a collective Buckeye foot on the necks of opponents late in games.

 

[jlb1705]

If I had a criticism of Coach Tress it was how conservative he would get in the second half of games where he had a lead. The Sugar Bowl was an example. The Buckeyes kicked Arkansas' arse in the first half by attacking aggressively. In the second half it was 3 between the tackle runs and a punt or 2 runs and an incomplete pass on 3rd and long. They were playing not to lose which usually means you might lose. It ended up taking a DE intercepting a pass to allow the Buckeyes to win.

I understand that you need to run the ball more with a lead in the second half, but once you stop attacking you lose momentum, and you will get attacked. There's a balance in there somewhere. I just hated seeing our offense get castrated in those situations. On the other hand, Tress won plenty of games and as Cooper said, it's easy to gamble with someone else's chips.

But Fickell used the word "attack" over and over in his presser. I hope this applies to putting a collective Buckeye foot on the necks of opponents late in games.

I'm going to attempt to shoot this one down every time it's brought up until the end of time...

Tressel gave his offense the opportunity to continue attacking in the second half of the Sugar Bowl. Tressel only went conservative when the O-line puckered up and Pryor started making poor decisions and throwing ducks all over the place.

Looking back at the play-by-play, it looks like Pryor was 1 for 6 passing in the second half. It seems too many people focus on the six attempts and not enough on the 1fer that Pryor put up. There were a ton of rush attempts by Pryor - some of them were designed runs, sure. More still though were "pass attempts" where they couldn't even get a throw off because he wasn't being protected or didn't make a decision in time.

 

[Tlangs]

we got to a BCS bowl with a freshman TP who struggled more as the year went in 08'... Now insert a just as dangerous runner, better thrower, and a player with a spring/fall camp under his belt in Braxton Miller and you have a very competent offense...

no beanie wells. Beanie was the leader of that team not TP.

 

[Nicknam4]

no beanie wells. Beanie was the leader of that team not TP.

We have two very talented young guys with Berry and Hall, and Herron comes back after the MSU game, so we're doing well in the HB spot.